WWE SmackDown Surges in Ratings Following Crown Jewel Fallout, Outperforming Prime-Time Sports Competitors
Summary
– WWE SmackDown reached its highest viewership since October 16, with 1.536 million viewers.
– The show topped prime-time ratings with a 0.47 in the 18-49 demographic, leading all of television.
– SmackDown outperformed an NBA game, a college football game, and a college basketball game.
Friday night’s WWE SmackDown delivered impressive ratings following its Crown Jewel fallout, drawing 1.536 million viewers on USA Network. This represents a 7.6% increase over the previous week’s audience, marking the highest total viewership for SmackDown since October 16.
Not only did SmackDown achieve impressive viewership, but it also topped all prime-time television with a strong 0.47 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This rating reflects an 11.9% increase over last week’s episode, representing the best performance SmackDown has seen in this demographic since October 16.
SmackDown’s success extended to its competition with other prime-time sports programming. The show outperformed an NBA game on ESPN that aired head-to-head, a college football game on Fox that started an hour later, and a college basketball game on ESPN2. The ratings reaffirm SmackDown’s draw in prime-time television, even in a crowded sports lineup.
Compared to the same week in 2023, when SmackDown was still broadcast on Fox, the show saw a 30.1% decrease in total viewers and a 17.5% drop in the 18-49 demographic. However, the recent jump in viewership on USA Network showcases WWE’s ability to engage its audience, particularly with its major event fallout episodes.
